At this time, I suddenly received a tip-off called Zheng An, saying that Cen had gathered people to gamble privately and was protected by the police station. After receiving the report, Francis Henry May immediately mobilized a group of police chiefs, personally led the team, and rushed to the Huanhuali East Street of Zhengan newspaper to search. Indeed, he cracked Cen's private gambling corporation. The general ledger of gambling payment was found in the double wall of the general office. The account book clearly records the details of Cen's bribery, where someone works, what his position is, and how much bribes he gives each month. In addition to the police, there are other organs of the Hong Kong government, from high-level officials to messenger attendants. A large number of jewels were found in Cen's special warehouse, which were sold by gamblers in various casinos or lost as collateral. Many of them are stolen goods reported.
It turned out that Cenmou manipulated private gambling business, and under the cover of all parties, he was very well informed and had many eyes and ears. If in normal times, even if the secretary comes to search in person, someone will send a message, because it is secretly notified by high-level bribers. But this time, a large-scale celebration was held in London, and several senior figures related to Cen were sent back to Britain to attend the commemorative ceremony. No one can report it in time, which was discovered by mistake by Francis Henry May.
After examination, Cen has been operating and manipulating private gambling for many years, with a peak of 1897. Private casinos sheltered by the police are concentrated in Huali East Street, West Street, Changxing Street and Sifang Street in Sheung Wan. Casinos sent "walking around the streets" to drum up business. Every day after dusk, they are distributed in Damakou, Shuikengkou, Dadudi, hollywood road, Wuwen Temple and other places. Attract passers-by to gamble, lead them to the corner where the casino is located, and others will lead them to the stalls with casinos on the street to gamble. Because of the official protection, at that time, this gambling hall promised a deposit to gamblers who came to gamble. Anyone who is searched or robbed by the police in a casino and loses his property will be responsible for compensation afterwards. It can be seen that the strength they rely on is great.
After this big case was exposed, the reputation of the Hong Kong government was affected because of its extensive involvement. The government tried its best to conceal the truth, minimize it and dilute it. However, after all, the account book is well documented, and the relevant people can't hide it anyway. As a result, the police dismissed 14 British deputies, 38 Indian policemen and more than 70 China policemen and translators for this bribery case. As a result, Osmond, the chief copywriter, and more than 20 clerks, translators and waiters were dismissed from the General Registry. Departments such as the Cleaning Bureau, the Fire Department and the Sheriff's Office also laid off many people. Because of the potential power of this case, the informant Zheng An was killed and thrown into the river two months later. During Francis Henry May's tenure, it never rains but it pours. 19 18 Two events that shocked the world happened in Hong Kong, which became the focus of attention of the news media in Hong Kong for a time, and were also the two most troublesome things during Francis Henry May's term of office. Only from the layout of Hong Kong English "South China Morning Post", we can see the shock brought by the incident.
The cover of the South China Morning Post always carries advertisements, and any major news is published on the inside pages. Even the news that World War I broke out in 19 14 was published on the inside page. Two major social news events in Hong Kong starting with 19 18 made way for front-page advertisements. Moreover, the newspaper reporter went all out, and both reports were published in a prominent position on the front page. The circulation of newspapers increased sharply, and Luoyang paper was once expensive.
One of the two social news stories is 19 18. On February 26th, 2008, more than 600 people were killed and thousands injured. This is one of the most disastrous news in Hong Kong for many years. The reporter of South China Morning Post conducted in-depth on-site interviews with pictures, which was better than all Chinese newspapers on Hong Kong Island.
The second social news is that on June 22, 2008, there was an encounter between police and robbers in Gillison Street, Wan Chai +09 18, and many people died.
According to the news of the fire in that year, the stands of the racecourse were relatively simple at that time. The stands were all temporary multi-storey simple stands made of bamboo boards and sunflower leaves, which were erected along Huangniyong Road to the vicinity of the golf club. February 26th is the second day of the annual horse race. Just after the Lunar New Year, the citizens are still immersed in the thick atmosphere of the New Year. A large number of citizens flocked to the racecourse to watch the excitement and even gambled to make a new year's fortune. At 2: 30 in the afternoon, when the game went to the fifth inning, the stands suddenly collapsed and caught fire, and the horse fans fled, and the order was in chaos. The stands near the golf club collapsed first, and the fire in the stands spread rapidly. At this time, the wind was too strong, the fire-fighting facilities were insufficient, and it was out of control. The crowd was crowded and trampled on each other. More than 600 bodies were left at the scene and thousands were injured. Many of the dead were children of noble families. At that time, horse racing was an advanced entertainment, which was difficult for ordinary people to enter.
The investigation on the cause of the fire proved that the stand of the racecourse collapsed, causing the cooked food vendors to catch fire under the stage. There are many stalls selling cooked food in the stands of the stadium, and now they are all burned and sold. Dry bamboo and wood fall, knock over the fire and burn the bamboo shed. In a panic, they couldn't save it, which led to this tragic disaster. Because it is the year of Wuwu, it is also called "Wuwu Massacre". After that, the bodies of the victims were buried together in the grave of the coffee garden.
The South China Morning Post commented that the fire was more serious than any disaster since its opening. After the fire broke out, the newspaper continued to report the life experiences and aftermath of the victims. Most of the covers still carry follow-up news, and some of them are reserved for advertising. This newspaper has been selling well for a long time.
As for1918 65438+1October 22nd, the encounter between the police and robbers in Nelson Street was a famous gun battle in the history of Hong Kong. Of course, this seems normal in Hong Kong in the second half of the 20th century. However, in those days, Hong Kong had a small population, so there were few cases of shooting and robbery, and no gangsters dared to challenge the police with guns. 65438+1October 22, this encounter, the two sides deadlocked 18 hours, three gangsters died and three escaped; Four police representatives and policemen died, five people were injured and suffered heavy losses.
Before the incident, the police tracked down a group of gun thieves. On 22nd, deputies and police officers led a group of China agents to investigate at 4 and 6 Jilichen Street. The front of the house is the facade of the shop, and the back is the living room. There are several groups of people living in it, and the man who stole the gun happens to be one of them. He hides all kinds of guns. When the deputy and the police officer went in to check, the gangster shot and killed two people first. After receiving the report, Wan Chai immediately sent a large number of police officers to reinforce, and two more police officers were killed in the encounter. After receiving the report, the Central Police Station immediately dispatched Chief Inspector Marcy to lead reinforcements, set up an encirclement, and tightly sealed off the residence at No.6 Nelson Street. There are both police and residents in it, so it is not easy to handle at present. The news soon spread all over Hong Kong, and people flocked to watch the excitement. Many senior government officials rushed to the scene to direct. On the afternoon of 1, Governor Francis Henry May, Major Robertson, a British soldier stationed in Hong Kong, and some army officers from the police department visited the site to conduct the command.
The two sides shouted many times and finally subdued a gangster who was guarding the entrance of Building 6. The police rushed into the house and found that inspector Su was shot five times and the police officer was shot four times. The battle ended at four o'clock the next morning. 1918165438+10/1,after the end of the first world war, China, as one of the victors of the participating countries, has great hopes for improving China's international status. 1919 65438+10, the Paris Peace Conference was held. China's delegation to the Paris Peace Conference put forward the requirements of abolishing the sphere of influence, returning the concession, returning the leased land and canceling Article 21. However, the Paris Peace Conference controlled by the British and French powers refused to discuss China's proposal and adopted a plan that harmed China's rights and interests: Japan would have all the rights stipulated in Jiaozhou Concession and Sino-German Treaty.
1965438+On May 4th, 2009, patriotic students in Beijing held a demonstration to protest against the unreasonable decision of the Paris Peace Conference to recognize various privileges of Japan's takeover of Germany's occupation of Shandong, which was the great May 4th Movement. This movement soon spread to all parts of the country and became an unprecedented anti-imperialist and anti-feudal political and cultural movement. Hong Kong compatriots have also taken action to express their patriotic passion. For this patriotic movement of China people, the Francis Henry May government acted as the executioner of Hongkong.
After the outbreak of World War I, Japan's influence in Hong Kong expanded. At that time, Britain, as one of the participating countries in the First World War, mainly concentrated on European hegemony, and the strength of the Far East was empty. In order to compete with Germany in the Far East, the British government plans to contain Germany with the help of Japan. As early as August 4th 19 14, when British Ambassador to Japan Green met with Japanese Foreign Minister Takashi Kato, he suggested that when the war spread to the Far East and Hong Kong was attacked by German troops, Britain hoped that Japan could give assistance. On August 7, the British government officially sent a note to the Japanese government, hoping that the Japanese fleet would attack the German fleet in the Sea of China. Britain tried to rely on Japan's strength to safeguard its colonial interests in the Far East.
Britain's demands are exactly what Japanese militarism wants. The Japanese took advantage of the busy war in Europe during World War I to expand their influence in southern China. In a short time, the number of Japanese expatriates in Hong Kong far exceeds that of European and American countries. In the area of Queen's Road on Hong Kong Island, Japanese people rushed to open stores, dealing in antique calligraphy and painting, books and stationery, porcelain lacquerware, medical groceries, hairdressing, photography and other industries. Due to the large number of overseas Chinese in Japan, they also set up Tsushima Island Hospital and Japanese primary schools in Hong Kong, mainly serving the Japanese. Militarily, Japanese warships often cruise in the South China Sea of China and anchor near Hong Kong Island.
According to Gu Weijun's memoirs, during the war, Britain promised to support Japan's interests in China. After the war, Britain was very grateful to Japan for its "contribution in the war", so it strongly supported Japan at the Paris Peace Conference.
According to the pro-Japanese policy of the British government, the Francis Henry May government adopted a high-handed policy towards China residents in Hong Kong and enacted strict police laws. All assemblies and processions must be approved by the Secretary for Home Affairs and the police, otherwise they will be declared as "persona non grata" and deported. On the other hand, the Hong Kong government took protective measures against the Japanese. After the May 4th Movement broke out, the British authorities in Hong Kong tried their best to suppress the patriotic actions of China residents and protect the Japanese troops in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong residents are very angry at Francis Henry May's flattery to the Japanese. Young students and intellectuals actively responded to the patriotic movement of Beijing students, regardless of the regulations of the Hong Kong government. Teachers in private Chinese schools are impassioned on the podium, stating national humiliation and inspiring students' patriotic enthusiasm. Some schools take advocating domestic products to boycott Japanese products as a composition proposition and guide students to participate in patriotic actions. Many students ransacked their Japanese goods and gathered near the Central Police Station in hollywood road to burn them in public to show their contempt for the repressive policies of the Hong Kong government. Students from private Ying Tao schools took to the streets with "patriotic umbrellas" (paper umbrellas made in mainland China) and shouted the slogan of "selling domestic products". Students from Ren Huang College, Saint Stephen's, Huaying, S? o Paulo and other famous schools also held separate gatherings and decided to set up a "student union" to draft articles of association and prepare for joint action.
Faced with the patriotic enthusiasm of Hong Kong intellectuals, Francis Henry May was extremely uneasy and immediately took emergency measures to prevent the situation from expanding. The Hong Kong government first ordered all police officers to cancel their vacations and put them on alert. At the same time, the armed police were sent to stand guard and patrol in front of Japanese shops and nearby streets day and night to closely protect Japanese expatriates and ensure the supply of Japanese goods and drinking water. Francis Henry May has also resumed the practice of World War I, recruiting reserve police, armed to the teeth, patrolling the streets day and night, ready to suppress the patriotic actions of Hong Kong people.
People from all walks of life in Hong Kong are very angry at the suppression by the British authorities in Hong Kong and have taken actions to resist. Citizens living in Wan Chai crowded in front of Japanese shops to demonstrate, throwing stones, smashing windows and shouting slogans of boycotting Japanese goods. Housewives refuse to use Japanese matches; Businessmen gathered in the China Chamber of Commerce and decided to promote domestic products. Department stores such as Shixian, Yong 'an, Daxin and Zhenguang have announced that they will purchase more domestic silk and Suzhou-Hangzhou groceries in the future. People from all walks of life are welcome to check whether the company has "hostile goods". For a time, domestic Indanthrene and patriotic cloth were very popular.
Fearing the patriotic movement of the Hong Kong people, the Japanese government sent three new giant warships, the Changmen, the Lu Ao and the Fusang, to dock outside the Lei Yue Gate, pointing guns at Hong Kong as a threat. The Japanese Consulate in Hong Kong also issued a note requesting the British Hong Kong government to ban newspapers and books with anti-Japanese remarks. On the issue of treating Hong Kong patriots, the British authorities in Hong Kong colluded closely with Japan. The China Affairs Department of the Hong Kong Government informed Chinese newspapers such as Circular Daily and Huazi Daily that "it is forbidden to incite anti-Japanese patriotism, interfere with public order and mention imperialism"; The Ministry of Education of Hong Kong instructed Chinese inspectors to inspect all private Chinese schools in Hong Kong, and immediately banned the use of Elementary Essays and Essays published by Shanghai Huiwentang as teaching materials. Because the book advocates domestic products and boycotts Japanese products. The police department also sent detectives to the book market to search to see if there was any accumulation of "elementary essays". If found, they were immediately confiscated.
Nevertheless, after the vigorous May 4th Movement, the anti-imperialist and anti-feudal patriotism has penetrated into the hearts of Hong Kong people, and many changes have taken place in the social outlook of Hong Kong. Some patriotic students cut back on food and clothing, donated money and materials, set up "group night volunteer schools" in Sai Ying Pun and rented places in hollywood road, and served as teachers themselves, providing books, pens and pens free of charge to educate poor children. Progressive workers from all walks of life gradually United and organized trade unions. Young students abandon the old ethics and advocate science and equality between men and women, and the social atmosphere has changed greatly.